Shi no Megami
by Phedre no Delaunay
Summary: There's a new group of assassins in town. Can Weiß figure out who they are? Can they learn of their true intentions? Will Ken survive the granola bars? R&R please!
1. Prologue

This is my first posted non-crossover piece of fan fiction. My whole purpose for writing it is to work on creating original characters that people like. I'm working on avoiding Mary-Sue characters, and still making the characters likable and believable. Also, there is an air of mystery in this story that I've never really written before. I'd like to improve that area of my writing, as well. I don't expect as many reviews as I usually get, but please review. I already have chapter one written, so maybe if I get a bunch of reviews, I'll update it faster. ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, places, or ideas from Weiß Kreuz. Please don't sue me. On the other side, I came up with the Goddess of Death, their friends, and all that other stuff. So, please don't take them.  
  
This story starts out between episodes two and three of the Weiß Kreuz anime. It follows the story line from there for awhile, but eventually it becomes AU. There are possible spoilers up through episode fifteen. I haven't seen the last nine episodes, so it would be silly for me to follow them.  
  
A HUGE thank you goes to my evil twin, The Confuser. She wrote parts of this, including this amazing prologue. Unfortunately, her Internet died.otherwise this would go under her penname. If you're a poetry fan, I suggest you go read her stuff.  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
The man glanced over his shoulder for the sixth time since he had entered his office, sure that he had heard someone enter. This time, as before, there was no one in the room and the only light was coming from the glowing computer screen in front of him. He let out a heavy sigh and returned to his work, fingers flying over the keyboard, his eyes fixed on the screen with a single-minded intensity that suggested he was doing something less that legal. Long moments passed without sound and he continued to work without another thought.  
  
He was so intent on his work that when the door slid open he did not hear it click, and he did not hear the whisper of clothing as a tall figure entered with a gleaming sword in hand. The shadow that fell across the computer screen should have warned him, but he was almost done and in his excitement he was not paying attention. When the blade whistled through the air he stopped for a moment but did not sense any danger until his head was rolling across the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind it.  
  
The assassin smiled, wiping a few stray strands of red hair out of the way, and motioned the other two inside. Three of them stood then over the body, looking down with expressions of calm acceptance to what their hands had done. In their ears hummed the voice of their fourth companion, reciting the details of the mission and the escape routes they would be taking. The entire affair had an air of indifference to it that seemed to glaze the walls and make the room hazy. It was obvious they had done this before.  
  
Finally the first assassin extended a slender arm, transferring the sword to the other hand in order to lean forward and freeze the screen. That way in the morning the others would know why this man had died tonight. An emotionless smile was shared between all three, and even over the heavily encoded waves that linked them to their fourth comrade. In silence they turned and filed out of the room, skirting the guards and cameras until they were safely outside of the building.  
  
Out on the cleanly cut lawn they moved like shadows towards the open street, still not speaking. All around the scent of the night was heavy, filled with metal and earth and the tang of car exhaust filtering up to the sky. In the distance neon lights gleamed as they highlighted the downtown area like beacons in the deep night. As they trio neared this brilliant quarter of the city their fourth member joined them, greeted by nods and a single smile. They did not speak at all until they were finally seated in their favorite café drinking coffee and staring out the window. Then the first assassin spoke to the others with a calm voice; eyes steady as they looked into three others.  
  
"Well done." They all smiled.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Well, now, that was short. Yeah, I know. However, chapter one is almost 4,000 words (8 pages) so you should have plenty to read when I post it. And I've started chapter two, which is already two pages. Review! 


	2. Chapter One

So, I wasn't going to update this until I had some reviews to read, but then I looked at the prologue and.Gawd, it's short. So I figured, why not? Here's chapter one.  
  
Chapter One  
  
The four assassins of the Weiß Kreuz group sprawled, sat, or stood in various places around the main room of their headquarters, waiting for their boss to give them their latest mission. Manx was standing at the back near the door, watching each of the guys and trying to decide which of them would accept the latest mission. As always, she knew what it was before they did, and the only thing they were waiting for was Persia to identify the targets. She smiled; the guys probably would all accept this mission, at least Yohji would. It gave him the excuse to go sniffing around a mansion.  
  
Suddenly the wall-screen lit up and the silhouette of Persia appeared as it always did in a large office of some sort. For a moment there was silence in the room as the office vanished and was replaced by the image of a large building with the picture of an elderly man in the corner. The four guys leaned forward simultaneously to get a better look, and Yohji whistled his appreciation at the size of the mansion that was displayed before them. A second later, Persia spoke up and his rich voice filled the room.  
  
"This is Ringo Starr." The boss had to pause while Yohji laughed. "No Balinese, he is not a Beatle, he is merely a very rich man who is a fan of their music. Now, I have it on good authority that he is the new benefactor for a group of assassins that just showed up in Tokyo. To my knowledge there are three of them, and I must warn you that they are very good at what they do. Already they have pulled several jobs and have not left a single trace as to their identity, not even a single video camera tape." There was another pause as the image of the house shifted into a building plan. "I want you to go in and do some reconnaissance; figure out exactly how many of these assassins there are and what their agenda is. They are supposedly out of the house tonight but if you find any do not kill any of them, as they may be future allies to our cause. I leave the assignments to you Manx." The screen clicked off and the lights flicked on.  
  
"This is degrading." Aya muttered, folding his arms across his chest. "We're assassins not messenger boys, and we don't do reconnaissance work."  
  
"You are allowed to think that, but I need to know if you're in or out." Manx said, looking around at the group. "I do have to add though that Mr. Starr is an extremely wealthy man, maybe he could give some stock tips if we end up being allies." Aya frowned for a moment before sighing faintly.  
  
"I'm in." he growled, and the rest of the guys nodded as well. Yohji grinned and spoke up.  
  
"Wouldn't it be great if they were chicks?"  
  
"No." Aya replied simply.  
  
"That's enough you two. All right, I want Omi working the security systems a block away from the mansion. Aya, you keep watch out on the lawn to make sure they don't come home while we're in there. Ken and Yohji, you go inside and see what you can find, all right?" When the guys had nodded she went around and began handing them copies of the building plans. "These will help you figure out where to go, and Omi, all of the security systems have been indicated on the blue prints so you can figure out a way to knock them out." Again they all nodded.  
  
"We'd better get going." Ken informed the others. They all stood up and headed for the door, nodding to Manx on their way. When they were all loading into the van, Yohji smiled widely and jumped into his seat.  
  
"Lets get this party started." With that they slammed the doors and began the drive to the warehouse where Omi would be working on his computer. It was 10:00 p.m.  
  
***  
  
Yohji strolled through the enormous interior corridors of the mansion, trying not to whistle at the magnificent architecture all around him. When they had arrived at the warehouse Omi had immediately set up the equipment and went to work. By the time he finished breaking the security codes the others were all ready to go. They had walked the rest of the way to the mansion, leaving Aya outside on the lawn to watch for the occupants of the house. Upon entering, Ken had taken the opposite direction, leaving Yohji to walk away from the living area and towards the recreation part of the house. So far he was pretty impressed.  
  
He came to a large set of double doors on one side of the hall that looked like they led to a rather large room. Curious, Yohji pushed the door open and walked inside. When he flicked the light switch he found himself standing in one corner of an enormous gym, complete with an indoor track and several work out machines. Finally allowing himself a single whistle, he moved through the room and began examining the equipment.  
  
The memory boards on the treadmills and bicycles stated very clearly that these people kept in good shape, a handful running at least five miles at each visit to the gym area. A locker cabinet in the corner told him that they had very good work out clothes, of the highest quality with padding galore for fencing and other activities. Unfortunately the clothing was asexual and instead of names had initials on the back. From what he could tell there were perhaps ten people living here, a helluva lot more than Persia had thought.  
  
After the gym he moved on to find a weight room with one hundred pound weights and fifty pout weights stacked around bench presses and arm exercise contraptions, as well as leg weights for up to three hundred pounds. Considering what he knew about women, they generally had stronger legs than arms, and the weight numbers suggested that these were indeed female assassins. Though, these weights were a lot heavier than most women should have been able to lift. A desk in the corner had various weight- plans with initials placed across the top. As he glanced across them he realized that these people spent more than seventy percent of their free time working out. He gulped slightly and moved on.  
  
The next rooms in the hall were mostly game rooms with pool tables, pinball machines, and large televisions surrounded by beanbags and pillows. Considering the fact that men preferred lounge chairs to such things, he was finding more and more evidence to suggest these people were women. On the arcade machines such as pinball and Pac-Man he found long lists of high scores with the initials IM on them, suggesting that at least one of the residents was a game freak. A chess table in the corner had a game set up on it with the black on the winning end, and a flat table near the window had card counters and poker chips. He smiled as he looked around a final time before heading to the next room.  
  
In the second to last room in the hall he found an enormous library filled from top to bottom with books and had several comfortable chairs set around the room. Lamps were set around the chairs and there were soft rugs placed around the room as well. A fireplace was located on one wall with five chairs around it and small tables for drinks and snacks. Finally there were a few desks in a small alcove towards the back with various college books stacked on them, and a laptop set up on each one. He still found no names on anything, but he did find a collection of poems and stories stashed in two of the desk drawers. As he read them he thought 'definitely women'.  
  
He finally came to the last room in the hall that had a large clouded screen door separating it from the hall. When he slid it open he found himself standing on a cement patio that surrounded an indoor pool. The room was dark save the lights that were set in the pool walls to light the water, and he could see someone swimming. Realizing he was about to be caught, Yohji tried to move back towards the door but tripped over a lounge chair and fell backwards into a potted plant. A splash sounded and he struggled to stand as a female figure slid out of the pool.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" there was definite anger in the voice, and as the girl came nearer Yohji couldn't help but stare at her slim figure. He swallowed heavily and stumbled out the door, running as he heard the girl yell and begin to come after him.  
  
Had he not been an assassin and a detective before that, she'd have caught him before he got out of the recreational rooms and into the hall. Luckily, when you kill people for a living, you tend to be in pretty good shape. He stumbled into the hall, but the girl was gaining. He quickly realized that he conveniently forgot his map and couldn't find the front door.  
  
"Get your ass back here!" The girl shouted, somehow getting a burst of speed. He squeaked, opened a door, hopped inside, closed the door and leaned against it heavily.  
  
Luckily for him, it had a lock. Unluckily for him, it was a bedroom.and it was occupied. The blob sleeping in the bed mumbled something incoherent and flopped over. Yohji held his breath and waited until the person's breathing evened out before sighing, quietly. It didn't last long however, when the girl outside began pounding on the door and shouting.  
  
He didn't want to put up with two pissed off girls, so he braced himself against the door and flung it open, slamming the girl into the wall and dazing her. He took off down the hall, while she regained her senses. By the time she rounded the last corner he'd turned, he was gone. A scream from the other side of the building turned her attention elsewhere, and she went to see what was going on.  
  
***  
  
The cause of the scream was rather humorous. One of the occupants of the house had come into the kitchen for a late night snack. Ken had been in the kitchen studying the food. The granola bars and massive amounts of vegetables as opposed to meats lead him to think girls were the primary occupants of the house. Unfortunately, in hearing the hungry occupant coming through the hallway, he jumped into a rather large cupboard and hid.  
  
The occupant of the house, a small blond girl of around sixteen or seventeen, went straight for his hiding place. Her favorite type of granola bar was stashed away in there somewhere, and she was hungry. It was a great shock to her when she opened the door and there sat Ken, all grins and lame attempts to explain. The blond girl screamed, and Ken ran.  
  
He remembered his map, unlike his blond-haired accomplice. Luckily for Yohji, the two met up in the hallway, and Ken led them out. They arrived in the foyer, only to notice the girl from the pool running behind them. They made it out, grabbed Aya, who was a bit confused and very angry, and ran.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" He demanded.  
  
"Well, they were sorta.home." Yohji explained. They arrived at the warehouse and found Omi.  
  
"What are you three doing back here so fast?" He asked, a genuinely confused look on his face.  
  
"We need a change of plans. They were home, and it's possible that up to ten or more people live in that house." Yohji explained.  
  
"Ten?" Ken shouted, his hothead nature rearing its ugly head yet again. "They had a lot of food, but TEN?"  
  
"They had a huge gym area with fencing equipment. They all had initials and there were ten different sets of equipment. Everything had initials: memory boards on the workout machines, training plans, games.no dead giveaways. One of the more prominent initials around was IM, though. And, the weights were more geared toward the legs. I think women lived there. They had a huge library, too. There was some original poetry, and it was all mushy and romantic." Yohji explained.  
  
"I found the kitchen. They had a lot of vegetables and an insane amount of granola bars. I swear, they could feed a frickin' army on those damn granola bars." Ken muttered. "Some little blond chick found me poking around in her granola bars, and I don't think she was too happy about it. Who was that girl chasing you?"  
  
"I dunno.I walked in on her swimming. Nice body." He flicked out a cigarette and started to light it. Omi grabbed it and threw it out a window, glaring.  
  
"Anything else?" He asked coolly.  
  
"Yeah.I got trapped in a bedroom briefly. I couldn't see the person very well, but she had an insane amount of stuffed animals, so I'm thinking it was a girl."  
  
"Aya, did you notice anything unusual from your post?"  
  
"No. I spent most of my time admiring their garden. One of them knows a thing or two about flowers. If they were men, they wouldn't really care, probably."  
  
"So.all we know is that there are at least three women in the house, probably more." Omi quickly summarized what the others had said in a Word document and sighed. "That's not much. We'll need some way to get into the house while people are around without them getting suspicious. Some way to get names." He scrunched his brow in concentration.  
  
"You could pose as a Boy Scout selling whatever it is Boy Scouts sell." Yohji suggested. "With so many people, one of them must like whatever you're trying to sell."  
  
The other three assassins stared at Yohji. He was by no means stupid, far from it actually. But he wasn't one to come up with plans. He just did what he was supposed to. Now, all of a sudden, he came up with a basic plan design without hurting his brain. That was usually Omi's forte.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing.that would actually work. By the way, Boy Scouts primarily sell popcorn and Christmas wreaths." Aya said. "Omi, can you come up with the supplies?"  
  
"Sure. It shouldn't be too hard." Omi frowned. "If there are a bunch of people there, though, we'll only be getting one name."  
  
"But then you can do some digging. There's bound to be school records, and I'm sure some of them are involved in something. They must have some connection to their targets. But, for now, can you do anything with those initials?" Aya suggested.  
  
"Do you have ANY idea how many people in Japan could be named something along the lines of IM?" Omi asked, giving Aya a look that said 'I thought you'd know better.'  
  
"Well, you can limit it to women, and for now, just look for any that stand out. She'd have to be in good physical condition and between about fifteen and thirty, living in this area of Tokyo. That should limit it somewhat. It's a start, if nothing else. We have no guarantee that this IM girl will want any popcorn or Christmas wreaths." Omi moaned and smacked his head into a nearby wall. "We should get back home and sleep on it."  
  
"First, while I was waiting for you to finish, I looked through those records of the jobs they've pulled. Most of them aren't very major.just small-time murders and rapists, but some of this stuff is crazy. Just a week ago, they knocked off the head of a huge corporation who'd led a secret life making millions in child pornography on the Internet. And over the last few months, they've been killing off his underlings. Them being women is making more sense. Over eighty percent of their targets have abused women in some way." Omi explained.  
  
"So our new rival/allies are a bunch of feminist extremists?" Ken raised an eyebrow. "I hope they don't meet Yohji before we can explain him."  
  
"Hey." Yohji growled and punched Ken in the shoulder. "I don't abuse women. And anyway, I like Aya's idea of sleeping on it."  
  
***  
  
They guys did sleep on it.except for Omi. He was up until God knows when trying to find any IM worth looking at. He was pretty much unsuccessful in narrowing the list down, and the next day at school, he fell asleep in math. Luckily, he wasn't caught, and didn't get a detention. When he got back to Koneko no Sumu Ie, Manx was just arriving, apparently to collect their information. He was wrong, surprisingly.  
  
"We have a new mission already?" Ken practically shouted. "W e haven't even finished the one you gave us yesterday."  
  
"Be that as it may, there is something more worth your attention for now." She ignored Ken's protests and went into the basement. The guys followed her, all grumbling except Aya.  
  
Manx pushed the videotape into the VCR and went to stand at the back of the room until Persia was done speaking. Weiß listened to Persia, each growing angry with the three who led the 'Riot' ring, Yohji most of all. They all accepted, and surprisingly, Yohji offered to head up the mission. Manx gave them all the information Kritiker was able to come up with and left the boys to their own planning.  
  
***  
  
While Yohji went off to do his own thing, Aya and Ken went over the mission records from this new assassin group. Omi, having practically memorized them, got back on his computer to look for IM. He'd narrowed the list down to about.two thousand people. Finally getting sick of the daunting task, he hacked back into the mansion's security system, intent on finding something. It took about half an hour, but finally, a grin found his face.  
  
"I am a genius." He told himself out loud, beaming at his work.  
  
"What'd you do?" Ken asked, rolling his chair over to look at Omi's computer.  
  
"I was messing around in their security system. It's almost flawless, but I found a way to transfer any images their cameras pick up and save them to my hard drive. Anything they see, we see." Just to prove his point, he clicked an icon on his screen, and an image popped up on the screen. It was a movie clip of what they assumed was the library Yohji had found. There was one person in the room. A figure, a bit fuzzy but probably female, was curled up in a chair with a rather large book. Every once in a while, she'd flip a page. Other than that, there was no movement in the room.  
  
Unfortunately, disaster struck. The image disappeared, and the screen went black. A minute later, an animated face appeared on the screen. It was round, yellow, and had its tongue sticking out at them. Omi frantically started typing, but nothing would make the image change.  
  
"What the hell is that?" Aya asked, a scowl on his face.  
  
"I don't know. It came out of nowhere." Omi had a terrified look on his face. The image disappeared, and, somehow, the computer shut itself down. "What the." Omi pushed the power button, and the computer re-booted itself. At the main screen, Omi entered a password, and the typical Windows screen popped up. However, all of the icons were missing.  
  
"Is it supposed to look like that?" Ken asked, sensing Omi's angst.  
  
"Everything's been deleted. Mission reports, the stuff I hacked, my school work, my journal.everything's gone." Omi let out an exasperated moan and smacked his forehead on the keyboard.  
  
"It just disappeared? How the hell does everything on your computer just disappear?" Ken demanded.  
  
"I think I got hacked." Omi admitted, seeming rather ashamed of the thought. He'd prided himself on keeping his computer hack-proof. Obviously, he'd been overconfident.either that, or the person they were up against was a pro. Or both.  
  
"Weren't you bragging just last week that your computer was hack proof?" Aya growled.  
  
"Shut up." Omi banged his head on the keyboard again, multiple times. Finally, after he committed what he deemed sufficient self-mutilation, he shut the computer down and turned to Ken and Aya. "I think they copied everything from my computer over to theirs, and then deleted my computer's memory. I hope not, but it's possible. If they did, they know everything we know about Weiß and Kritiker, and the flower shop, too."  
  
Ken glared at Omi. Finally, he let out a growl and stormed upstairs. Apparently, he was too angry to yell. For Ken, that was a miracle. Aya didn't say anything. He just went back to the records and continued to look for clues. Omi went to get some coffee before coming back to rewrite all of his stuff. When he got back, there was one Word document on the screen. He opened it, confused. It read:  
  
Dear Weiß;  
  
Noble as your intentions are, we must ask you to keep your nose out of our business. We have no intention of harming you, unless you give us reason to do so. We hope you feel the same about us. Your files will be returned to your computer after we have read through them. You may not think this is fair, but you are the ones hacking into our system. The information you've given us will be kept confidential. Only our benefactor and we will see them. Good luck on your mission.  
  
  
  
Harpy  
  
  
  
"Um.Aya.come read this." Omi said, the worried tone in his voice blatantly obvious.  
  
Aya quickly finished the page he was reading and stood. By the time he'd reached the computer, he'd already gotten the main gist of the note and growled. "Harpy? What the hell..." He said, attempting to remain calm. "Is there anything you can do?"  
  
"No. If I hacked them, they'd probably get pissed and come after us. For now, I don't think they'll try to do anything. We'd probably better keep a low profile, and we should tell Manx."  
  
"How much did you have about our mission to find out about them?" Aya asked.  
  
"Only the descriptions given to me by Ken and Yohji, and some of the stuff Manx told us. I didn't have anything about the Boy Scout idea written up yet. I was too busy trying to find IM. I don't think we should go to the house ourselves anymore. We'll have to hire someone." Omi sighed.  
  
"Go tell Ken. I'm going to get ready for this Riot thing." Omi didn't bother to ask why Aya needed to get ready for the attack. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what his fellow assassin was talking about.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Well, what do you think? Good, bad, ugly? I'll probably go over it and change stuff and update it again, later, but for now, I think it's readable. Let me know what you think. ^_^ 


	3. Chapter Two

Well, I've written another chapter. I'd like to give a big THANK YOU to Ally-chan...She was the ONLY PERSON WHO REVIEWED! ::sniffle:: Thank you. Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter, and see if you can guess who the assassins are...(just a hint, they haven't all been introduced yet)  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Yohji wasn't really listening to the man instructed to show him around the high-rise building that was home to the Riot organization. He already knew where everything was, and if he got lost, he had maps. He was more interested in coming up with creative ways to kill this pain-in-the- ass. Not only was he a huge pervert, but he was annoying as hell!  
  
"So, Kudo-san, what kind of lady were you interested in, again?" the man asked. Yohji snapped out of his daze, and looked down at the little man.  
  
"I suppose it's stupid to ask if you have any virgins in a place like this." Yohji sighed. He kind of hoped there were. If so, he could be nice to them, and keep them alive. That way, they would have lost their virginity, but at least he could insure their survival and show them that not all men were evil.  
  
"Actually, we just got two new ones in earlier this morning. They'll cost quite a bit more, though. Virgins are hard to come across. They'll be seventy-five million yen each." Yohji stared in disbelief at the Riot member. Seventy-five million yen? That was an ass-load of money. He quickly regained his composure, though. Riot collected dues at the end of each week from its members, giving itself time to go through all the paperwork. He wouldn't have to pay anything, since Riot was going down tomorrow.  
  
"Let's have a look at them." He said. Knowing his luck, they were probably both fourteen and half-starved.  
  
"This way. You won't be disappointed. I saw them when they came in this morning. They're both gorgeous." The man chuckled in a way that made Yohji even more desperate to kill him.  
  
It took only a moment to go up a flight of stairs and down the hall. They ended up opening the door to a fairly large room. The furnishings were elegant, and the carpet was plush. It had the look of a room in a mansion or hotel suite. The man had been right on the money about the girls, though.  
  
A blond girl sat on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She wore a light blue dress that was obviously given to her to show off her slim figure. Her crystal blue eyes glittered, and she had an air of innocence about her that made Yohji want to hug her. However, she looked like she was only fifteen or so.  
  
The other girl sat in a large, overstuffed chair, reading a book. Her copper hair was pulled into a braid and slung over her shoulder. Her blue-green eyes skimmed over the words in the book so fast, Yohji wondered if she was really reading. From what he could see of her, she was wearing a dark blue dress, though her position curled up in the chair hid her form from view.  
  
"Alright...I'll take both of them." Yohji decided.  
  
"Both? Can you afford it?" The man asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.  
  
"You'll have your hundred fifty million yen at the end of the week. That is how the payment works, correct?"  
  
"Yes. Very well. I'll leave you alone, now." The man grinned evilly and left. The redhead lowered her book and sent him a look that said 'don't mess with me.'  
  
"God, I want to kill that man." He muttered.  
  
"Can I help?" The blond girl asked, looking at him a bit too eagerly.  
  
"Uhhh...no, you're to little to be a murderer. How old are you? Fifteen?" He looked her up and down quickly, before locking his gaze on her eyes.  
  
"I'm seventeen, thank you." She glared. Apparently, she was a bit sensitive about her size.  
  
"Well, either way, is there some place else you can go? I don't sleep with minors."  
  
"You paid, what, seventy-five million yen just to let me run around free?" She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I've got a feeling Riot won't be around by the end of the week. I decided I might as well let you two know what it's like to have someone nice hiring you, as opposed to letting you get killed by some sick pervert when the whole operation is crumbling under his feet. Run along, little one." He indicated to the door, making a 'shooing' noise to urge her to leave. She giggled and kissed his cheek before grabbing a small backpack from a corner and leaving.  
  
"You're quite the arrogant one, aren't you?" The redhead asked, amused. "What makes you think Riot is going down?" She set her book on the chair as she stood up.  
  
Yohji had to catch his breath when he caught full sight of her. It wasn't that she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, or that she had the best body ever. It was more the way she held herself, and the presence she emitted. She was strong physically, as was evident by the way her muscles flexed in her arms and legs when she moved. She had a strong soul as well. She looked him in the eye, held herself tall, and kept a look on her face that would make most men back down.  
  
"Call it a hunch." He smirked.  
  
"Do I know you?" The confident look on her face shifted to one of wonder. "You look really familiar."  
  
"I don't remember ever meeting you. What's your name?"  
  
"Aiko. And you are?"  
  
"Kudo Yohji." He bowed, a seductive smile appearing on his face. In bowing, he missed the look that flashed briefly across the girl's face. "A pleasure. How...old are you?"  
  
"Just turned nineteen a few weeks ago. I don't see why someone involved in Riot cares about whether or not a girl is underage. I've seen girls around here who haven't even hit puberty yet." She crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a look that he didn't quite understand.  
  
"That's just gross." He shuddered at the thought of sleeping with a child. "You really know how to turn a guy off."  
  
"Good. Maybe I won't have to do anything." She smirked and sat back down, picking up her book and opening it back to the marked page. Yohji sat down in another chair and contented himself to watching her read for a few minutes.  
  
The image he projected to most people was that of a stereotypical playboy. He seemed to enjoy women and sex, and spent most of his time in pursuit of them. The people who saw him as only a playboy did not know him, though. While it was true that he liked women and sex, it was not true that those were the only things he cared about.  
  
His obvious quest for women brought about misconceptions about his true personality. He enjoyed the company of women, the sights and the smells and the laughter. Sex was simply another way to be close to women, and the most open women wanted nothing more. The women who avoided sex, who wanted a firm relationship, did not understand his love of the company of women, and would be made jealous easily every time he complimented another woman.  
  
Watching this girl reading, and enjoying her book made him just a little bit happier. Happy women made happy Yohji. He enjoyed just watching, noticing the little quirks that made each woman unique, and memorizing every detail he could about them. Some women were upset by this excess attention, but this girl didn't seem to mind. She just went on with her eyes flying over the page, her long, elegant fingers occasionally turning the page.  
  
Eventually, she reached what she deemed a decent stopping point. She'd finished the chapter, and, although it was a bit of a cliffhanger leaving her desperate to finish, she marked the page and closed the book. Then, she lifted her eyes to meet his, a slight smile on her face.  
  
"Do you enjoy watching people read?" she asked, a bemused look on her face. Laughter danced in her eyes, though her lips were silent.  
  
"Only pretty people." He shrugged.  
  
"Then you are confused, in more ways that one. You are paying an insane amount of money for my services, so let's get this over with." She stood up. He rose as well, a smirk on his face.  
  
"You're depressing, you know that? You're all cynical and pouty. I think it's rather obvious you don't go around looking for men's attention."  
  
"What's the point?" She sent him a cool look. "I've yet to meet a man who gives a flying fuck about me, except for my uncle. Why should I act all sweet when I'm not a naturally sweet person?" She tried to step back as he closed the gap between them, but the chair was in her way.  
  
"Honest..." He whispered, reaching up a hand to caress her cheek.  
  
She was a good fifteen centimeters shorter than he was, so he was forced to bend a bit to kiss her. He quickly moved his arms to pull her closer, and in doing so, noted that she was by no means soft. Firm muscle was evident in most of her body, and he could detect no trace of fat anywhere on her. Her chest was the only soft thing about her, but he didn't really mind.  
  
"You may not have a sweet personality, but you taste sweet." He whispered after he broke the kiss. She blushed, slightly, and stared down at her feet. He smiled and bent to kiss her again, moving her toward the bed.  
  
* * *  
  
Yohji smiled at the sleeping figure and approached the bed one last time. He should have left by now, but he didn't want to rush in leaving this girl. There was something about her that made him want to hold her; protect her for eternity. He wasn't sure what drove him to feel like this, especially since he'd only known her for a few hours, and he hadn't really had a conversation with her.  
  
And, despite the things he didn't know, there were so many things he knew about her that he was sure others hadn't picked up on; even those close to her. She was stubborn, and made it clear to everyone. She was strong, too, but she was hurting inside. She held in the pain, kept it locked away from the world. But, obviously, she had some kind of outlet.  
  
Most who kept pain locked inside ended up cracking. They'd loose it and go crazy. But she was perfectly calm, normal. He didn't know what this outlet was, but he didn't really care. So long as she never lost her strong, stubborn attitude. So long as she was happy, he didn't care.  
  
He reached out to brush his fingers across her cheek. Something reminded him of the true mission at hand, and he pulled back. He forced himself to leave the room, glancing back at her over his shoulder once, just to be sure. Finally, he closed the door, closing the girl out of his life forever.  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you done yet?" An impatient, annoyed voice complained.  
  
"Hold your horses. I still have to break through the encryption. It'll be a few more minutes."  
  
"Damnit." A hand reached up to brush a few blond locks out of a pair of glaring eyes.  
  
"Alright, here we go. They're getting together tonight." The hacker grinned. "Round up the others and we'll finalize our plan. Riot is going down."  
  
"It's about frickin time." The blond snorted, but went to finish the task at hand.  
  
* * *  
  
Ken's face lit up in a triumphant grin as he finally found the room he was looking for. In his eyes, this building was too big for it's own good. He'd been lost for a good fifteen minutes now, but finally, he'd found the room. The manager of operations for the entire Riot operation was inside, and completely unaware of his own imminent destruction.  
  
Silently, Ken opened the door, sliding in unnoticed by the figure at the computer. Squeezing his hand into a fist to unsheathe the steel claws, he approached the person. It came as a shock to him to see that someone had beaten him to the kill. An arrow was sticking out of the back of a man who had been dead for only a few minutes. Attacked was a note, which Ken pulled off. It read:  
  
Too slow, Weiß.  
  
  
  
Siren  
  
  
  
Growling, he pocketed the note. Hopefully, Omi could come up with something using it. He turned and left the room, hoping...something. And something it was, too. Just as he looked up, he saw a figure rounding the corner. The figure was pig-tailed and wearing a black leather trench coat. Strapped to her...he assumed it was a girl because of the pigtails...back was a black compound bow, similar to the one Omi used on occasion.  
  
He ran to the corner to look, but came face to face with an empty hallway. Confused, he turned back and headed to meet up with the others. He was pretty sure that girl had been the one to kill his target, but he wanted to know who she was.  
  
* * *  
  
He let the tears fall freely as he placed the cattaleya in her folded hands. The others had left him to his tears and his misery, knowing that none of them could offer much comfort. Despite all the times they teased him for his thing for women, they understood better than anyone else who claimed to be his friend. They would leave him alone until he felt up to talking.  
  
A noise from the door pulled his attention away from the lifeless body. The door had been left slightly open, and someone had discovered him. He hoped to God the person was of no threat. He pulled the door open and would have smiled, if he'd felt up to smiling. Aiko stood there, looking at her feet and acting like a puppy caught doing something bad.  
  
"Aiko..." He whispered. She looked up at him, and he was rather surprised to see the depressed look on her face.  
  
"Is...is that Maki?" She asked. The look in her eyes told Yohji that she was hoping to God it wasn't.  
  
"You...knew her? I'm sorry..."  
  
Aiko sank to the floor, staring blankly at the wall. She pulled her knees up to her chest and stared. The emptiness in her eyes broke Yohji's heart. Without saying anything, he knelt next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She made no attempt to push him away, but didn't stop staring blankly, either.  
  
"It's okay...to cry." He whispered. "I won't tell anyone." She turned to him, her eyes shifting slightly. No tears came.  
  
"I can't cry." She murmured, huddling against him. "I don't have the right, anymore."  
  
They stayed that way forever and for only a moment. Yohji wouldn't have minded staying that way for the rest of eternity, but all too soon, Aiko pulled back and stood up. He followed suit, never taking his eyes off her. She forced herself to smile.  
  
"Maki never liked anyone to be sad." She said.  
  
"Have you eaten yet? 'Cause I'm hungry...and we can swap stories." Yohji grinned, slightly embarrassed. Aiko smiled and nodded.  
  
* * *  
  
Yohji was glad Aiko was lightening up. He'd been scared, when he'd seen her staring blankly at the wall like that, but now she seemed back to her calm, cool collected self. The bemused look in her eye told him that she would not stay depressed over Maki's death. Now, he intended on finding out just how she knew Maki. As soon as their drinks were ordered, she began her story.  
  
"I met Maki about a year ago, shortly before she got mixed up with Riot. My uncle, Ringo, started a special home for girls who had no place left to go. Maki was in and out every couple of days, running away from home, staying with boyfriends, stuff like that. I make sure things run smoothly at the house, so I got to know her well. She was a good girl, deep down." Aiko sighed and munched on a nacho chip.  
  
Yohji packed away a great deal of what she'd said, his detective instincts kicking in the second he heard the name 'Ringo.' When she finished her story, he told her about how he'd met Maki, and what they'd gone through. He left out some of the major Weiß details, but Aiko got most of the picture. Then, he told her about Asuka, something he didn't tell most girls or even his close friends.  
  
As they got their drinks, Aiko shifted the conversation over to more lighthearted things. She began with a rather humorous story about a friend of her's named Kohana whose boyfriend purposely super-glued his hands together. Needless to say, they were no longer dating. By the time they had their food, they were chatting easily and laughing like nothing had happened.  
  
Dinner ended all too soon for Yohji. He didn't want to leave Aiko yet, but he could tell she was getting sleepy. It was getting late, he had to admit. He was hoping to get her phone number, so he could hopefully see her again. For now, he'd settle for driving her home.  
  
"So, where do you live?" He asked as they slid into his car. She gave him the address and some directions, and he hid a smirk. So this uncle Ringo of hers really was Ringo Starr. This was too good to be true.  
  
* * *  
  
When Aiko got home, she was surprised to see so many of her friends up. The small blond, who had joined her at Riot, sat sideways in a lounge chair, dangling her legs over the arm of the chair. She was munching on a granola bar and staring at the ceiling. Another blond, Kohana, was sitting elegantly on the sofa, reading a novel that appeared to be in French...or some other European language. Another girl just entered the room, her brown hair up in pigtails.  
  
"Yoko...why are you wearing pigtails? Has Michi worn off on you?" Aiko teased, swatting playfully at the older girl's hair.  
  
"Atticus thinks it's cute..." Yoko blushed. Aiko chuckled.  
  
"Yoko, you don't need pigtails to make Atticus think you're cute." Kohana stated matter-of-factly. "He adores you. You should go to bed, you have that concert tomorrow..."  
  
"Yeah..." Yoko smiled and left the room.  
  
"So, what's wrong?" The blond girl sprawled on the chair asked. "Was that cute blond guy mean to you?" She made a mock-pouty face. Aiko glared at her.  
  
"Mai, don't start. Maki's dead." Aiko sank down onto the sofa next to Kohana, who'd dropped her book and was staring at her hands in disbelief.  
  
"Who's Maki?" Mai asked, looking innocently at the other girls.  
  
"She used to come here every few days, about a year ago. She got caught by Riot, and they killed her." Aiko sighed.  
  
"Why...would anyone want to kill Maki? She...she was such a sweetie." Kohana, unlike Aiko, allowed herself a few tears.  
  
"I dunno. We should all get to sleep. We have to help Yoko and the others with the concert." Aiko stood, pulling Kohana up with her. Kohanna wiped her eyes and went to her room. Mai, always the happy one, bounced up and found her way to her room as well.  
  
Aiko picked Kohana's book up and set it on the table. Then, she turned off all the lamps. She let out a sigh and she went upstairs to her room, the thoughts of the day confusing her. Maki...Yohji...Riot...it was all so complicated, despite how simple it seemed at first glance. No doubt she would get little sleep tonight.  
  
* * *  
  
Early the next morning, before the Koneko no Sumu Ie opened, Yohji came down into the shop with a bright grin on his face. The others assumed he'd had 'fun' on his little date last night. None of them suspected that his 'date' had been the niece of one Ringo Starr.  
  
"I take it you had fun last night?" Ken said, glaring slightly.  
  
"I suppose you could say that. Omi, I suggest you get on your computer as soon as you can and dig up everything you can on Takahashi Aiko. She's Ringo Starr's niece." The other three assassins stared at Yohji. "What?"  
  
"How...exactly did you learn this?" Aya asked.  
  
"Well, that house is a shelter for women who don't have anywhere else to go. Aiko knew Maki, so we went out to dinner to talk about her. She said her uncle Ringo started the shelter, and when I took her home, it was the same mansion. I doubt this guy would use his own niece as an assassin, 'cause that's just cruel, but there may be some friends of hers who live there who fit the criteria we're looking for."  
  
"Yohji, most of the time you act like an idiot, but sometimes you surprise us like this...you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days." Ken muttered.  
  
"Thanks, Yohji." Omi said, ignoring Ken's comment. "I'll look into it. I've got to get to school, though. Oh, and you guys might want to look at this. It's about the two names signed on the note's we've received from those assassins." He picked up a book and handed it to Aya. Two different pages were marked with Post-it notes.  
  
The first page marked contained information on harpies, as seen in Greek mythology. Apparently, they were storm goddesses who carried away the week and wounded. The second page marked was about sirens, also from Greek mythology. The sirens were sea nymphs who used their songs to lure sailors to their doom.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Whew...another chapter done. I'd really like some more reviews. I only got one on my last chapter. ::sniffle:: That's just mean. If you don't review, I'll cry. I'll even accept flames! Anything, I swear! 


	4. Chapter Three

Oi...I spelled a name wrong already...I'm so stupid. Kohanna from last chapter should be Kohana. Just thought I'd let you know...I might go back and upload it again, fixed...or I might just leave it...I dunno. Anyway, I got a few more reviews. ^_^ That makes me feel a little better.  
  
I think I should let you know that I've only introduced four of my new characters...there's going to be at least twenty that play a role in the plot at some point. So, I was thinking that maybe after a few more chapters, I could make a character guide so that you could check back to see who's who until you get the idea. I know it's a lot of characters, but I'm really working on making believable characters here, so...the more the better. ^_^ Let me know which characters you like more than others, from a writers perspective. Tell me which ones seem more real than others, and definitely warn me if I'm heading toward Mary-Sue-dom. I want to avoid that.  
  
Okay, time to get on with the story.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Things seemed to be picking up for the assassins of Weiß. This was their third mission that week, and so far, they'd only completed one of them. True, they had gotten rid of Riot, but they still had very little information about these new assassins. Now, Ken was freaking out because he apparently knew one of the targets, and was convinced that there was no way he could be evil.  
  
Things at the Koneko no Sumu Ie were just as bad as they always were. During the day, it was pretty decent because most girls were at school. There were only a few stragglers wandering the streets looking for flowers. But, by the time Omi got there after he was done with school, the shop was packed with girls, none of whom really wanted to buy anything. They all wanted to stare at their respective idols.  
  
All that on top of the fact that his teachers were cramming the end- of-the-year work in before it got to being finals time was really starting to stress Omi out. It was true that he was a good student, but he was quickly loosing free time, and he had three research papers due the same week. Added to that was all the homework in his other classes, as well as studying for tests and the fact that soon he would have finals to worry about.  
  
He finally pushed away his schoolwork; sick of the ridiculous topics he had to choose for his research papers. The few decent topics were taken before he got a chance to even look at the list, so he got stuck with the crap of the crap. Now, he would concentrate on the name Yohji had given him. Takahashi Aiko, the niece of the benefactor of a group of assassins. It didn't take him long to dredge up her high school records.  
  
Apparently, she'd graduated the year before. She wasn't greatly involved in high school activities, her only one being the girl's Varsity soccer team, but she kept her grades up, graduating in the top ten in her class. However, it seemed she did quite a bit outside of school. Her major time-consumer appeared to be the fact that she was the stage manager of small-time local theater that her uncle had bought for her to use. She seemed to have keen money-sense and an underlying artistic side.  
  
The thing that interested Omi the most, however, was the common appearance of a handful of names...one in particular. Ikeda Michiko...she was the goalie on the Varsity soccer team, though she would only be graduating this year. She held important roles in many of the stage productions put on by the theater, though she was obviously not the prima donna. Also, Aiko often referred to her as her 'evil twin.' Omi jotted the name down, and decided to check her out later and then went on searching for more clues.  
  
In the end, he ended up with quite a few names jotted down. Among those listed was the prima donna of the theater, a girl by the name of Yoko. He couldn't find a family name. His main reason for checking her out was the fact that the assassin who left the note Ken found was signed 'Siren.' Sirens used their singing to lure sailors to their doom. Yoko could apparently sing like nobody's business.  
  
It took hours for him to look up all the names and type up a file on each of them, but the lead was driving him to work. Luckily, it was Saturday. He wouldn't have to worry about school in the morning. He'd just have to work and deal with Ouka. But at least the guys would thank him for his hard work...er, never mind that. They wouldn't say anything in the way of thanks.  
  
* * *  
  
Ken let out a small, frustrated sigh, eyes fixed on the front doors of the building in front of him, a look of determination in his eyes. He was going to find out what was up with Kase no matter what the cost. He should be coming out of those doors any minute now...there, that must be him. He hadn't changed a bit, though he apparently had a new girlfriend.  
  
"Kase!" Ken called, waving at his old friend. Kase looked up from the girl hanging on his arm and gaped at Ken. After a second, he got over his shock and grinned.  
  
"Ken!" He bounded down the steps and wrapped an arm around Ken's neck, sufficiently strangling Ken to near-death. Neither of them really minded, though. "I thought you were dead."  
  
The girl descended the steps elegantly, never taking her eyes away from the scene in front of her. She had a slight smirk on her face. Ken tried to ignore her, since, after working in the flower shop for so long, girls her age started to get annoying. Kase seemed to have momentarily forgotten her. They both turned when they heard her speak, though.  
  
"He certainly doesn't look like a corpse or a ghost. I'm rather glad of that. I'll assume, Kase, that you were simply misinformed when you told me he was dead, because I hope you wouldn't lie to me." Ken did not envy Kase the look he received from her. "As much as I like happy reunions, I'm afraid we have to go Kase. My game starts in an hour and I have to warm up."  
  
"Oh, yeah...uh, Ken, this is my girlfriend, Michiko. She's got a soccer game, so we've gotta go, but you're welcome to come if you aren't busy. We can catch up...though, you'll have to provide your own transportation, since the Firebird only holds two people..." Kase said. Ken grinned.  
  
"Sure...I'll just follow you two on my bike."  
  
Ken motioned to his motorcycle a few meters away. Kase nodded and told him the address of the soccer-park in which the game was being held incase traffic did not allow for Ken to follow the car. Then, Kase and his girlfriend went to get their car, and Ken camped out straddling his motorcycle until he saw them leave.  
  
* * *  
  
"Ah...Kase, isn't it a bit late in the season for high school games?" Ken asked. He was sitting on a set of rather uncomfortable metal bleachers. The sun had been shining on them the whole day, and they were very warm. Kase was seated next to him, apparently unconcerned with the heat.  
  
"This is the prefecture championship, and it isn't their school team. If they win, they get to go to the national tournament. I think they've got a good chance...they've got some real talent. Like that midfielder, number six. Her name's Kyoko and she's a varsity freshman."* Kase said.  
  
"Impressive." Ken admitted. "So, what position does Michiko play?"  
  
"Keeper." Kase smirked. "She's better than you."  
  
"Yeah, sure." Ken rolled his eyes. "I believe you."  
  
"Just you watch. Anyway, what have you been up to these past few years?"  
  
Ken gave a brief account of his life from after the little 'accident' when he got kicked out of the J-league. He told about the flower shop, and about Aya, Yohji and Omi, but he conveniently left out the part about him being an assassin. He was used to giving this shortened version of his life. It was all he ever told people, since he didn't like talking about his soccer years.  
  
Afterward, he heard Kase's life story. Apparently, Kase had quite the J-league after the 'accident' and then left Japan. When he came back, he got his current job at Asia Construction. He never mentioned anything about the Creeper gang. He spoke highly of Kouga Kenji, however, which rubbed Ken the wrong way. He finally burst, his anger getting him in trouble yet again.  
  
"Stay away from Kouga Kenji." Ken said, a threatening tone in his voice. Kase stared at him.  
  
"Kouga-san is a good man, Ken." He said. Something in the game caught his eye and he looked up, Ken forgotten. There was a huddle of people in front of the goal, and he couldn't see Michiko. "Michi..." He sprang to his feet, instantly full of worry.  
  
"You know better, Kase." Ken reprimanded, grabbing his old friend's wrist. "You aren't related, they won't like you going on the field. She's probably fine." From the field they heard a loud howl, and the crowd of people backed up in unison as someone yelled something. Then a grinning Michiko came through the mass of people, her arm secured at her side by a sock. A redhead walked next to her, smiling as well and snapping at anyone who tried to impede their progress toward the sidelines.  
  
"Oh no." Kase murmured. "If her arm is broken she won't be able to play." They watched as the redhead helped Michiko sit on the bench, then said something that made the darker-haired girl laugh. Then the game resumed, with the injured goalie screaming from the sidelines until she was unable to speak.  
  
After the game Michiko went to the hospital to get her arm checked, and Ken got Kase to agree to have a drink while he waited for his girlfriend to call. So they sat at the bar, each with a glass in his hand. They talked about the old days, about the J-league and about life before the 'accident'. Then Kase began to tell Ken about Kouga, and the assassin decided it was time to try to convince his friend that the guy was bad news.  
  
But Kase would have none of it. He was completely convinced that his boss was a good man. After about ten minutes, the two got into such heated conversation about it that they decided to part ways. Kase went back to the hospital to find Michiko, and Ken went back to the flower shop. As was to be expected, he was in a very bad mood, and stormed up to his room without speaking to any of the other guys.  
  
* * *  
  
Omi's bad day had only been a forewarning of the God-awful day to follow. Everything had been the same involving school and work, but now, his target, whose schedule he'd had memorized, had disappeared off the face of the earth. He settled into his computer chair around ten thirty that night, doped up on pain medication for the rather large headache he'd developed earlier that day. He had a list of people to look up still from his work the day before involving Aiko, and hadn't had any time earlier to work on it. But soon, relief came!  
  
He'd been involved in a number of Internet RPGs over the past few years, and had met a number of rather interesting people. One of them went by BoTaNtHeRpGtHiNgY, and he was a pretty decent hacker. He'd actually helped Omi on a few missions, though he never knew exactly what was going on, and had often shown Omi some of his own private work. Sure, he was really weird, but Omi had to admit that he was good at what he did.  
  
BoTaNtHeRpGtHiNgY: hey  
  
Omi: hey, I need your help  
  
BtRt: hacking, I suppose  
  
Omi: yeah, could you look up everything you could find on these names? Koyanagi Mai, Tanaka Nori and Seishin Kohana  
  
BtRt: hell no  
  
Omi: why not?  
  
BtRt: cause I know all 3 of them and they'd beat me up...Mai's pretty scary  
  
Omi almost fell out of his chair. This circle of friends was huge, and the fact that it was so interconnected in his life was starting to scare him. Two of the girls and two of the boys who seemed to be very good friends with Takahashi Aiko went to his school.  
  
Omi: can you tell me anything about them?  
  
BtRt: they'll beat me up...are you the ones who hacked into their mansion's security system and broke into their house? Nori's pretty pissed  
  
Omi: oi  
  
BtRt: lol, you're in big trouble. I'm surprised she didn't report you to the police. Oh well...you might as well just give this up, you aren't going to get anywhere.  
  
Then, BoTaNtHeRpGtHiNgY logged off. Omi resisted the urge to beat his head into a hard, immovable object. Now the assassins would know that he was still looking into their activities. And he'd lost a possible ally. Things were just not going his way.  
  
* * *  
  
Kohana walked into the gym early in the morning, fists clenched and muscles coiled with tension. Maki was dead. The realization had hit her hard, that someone she had thought of as a friend was no longer living, and that she had died brutally at the hands of those...she shut her eyes and shook her head. There was no point in thinking about it, she should just vent her anger on something and stop rolling the memory around in her head. She headed for the punching bags.  
  
When she arrived she pulled on some guards and let her fists fly, feeling the tension ease slightly as the bags swung in perfect rhythm with her fists. Still, it wasn't what she needed and she looked around for someone to spar with. Her eyes settled on a practice ring near the wall where someone was holding a mass duel. A smile touched her lips for the first time in two days and she made her way over, ready to hit something that made a much more satisfying sound that a punching bag.  
  
"Uh, I think you should be over there." The current champion pointed across the room to where a few small children and teenagers were sparring with each other in slow, weak moves. Kohana raised an eyebrow but said nothing, climbing into the ring and readying her fists. "All right, but I warned you."  
  
"Stop talking and fight." She replied shortly, and in only a few seconds her opponent was lying flat on his back, wondering what had happened to put him there.  
  
After that the others who had lined up for a fight dropped like flies, each one lying dazed on the mat for several minutes before they regained enough composure to leave the ring. Then another would step up, and in the blink of an eye they too were on the ground. This continued for quite some time until a tall man with dark hair came over, and climbed into the ring.  
  
"I hope you don't expect to win this time." He said with a smile, and she merely growled and lunged. Surprisingly he dodged the attack easily, darting to one side and throwing her off balance just enough to annoy her. Then she turned back and renewed her efforts, feinting to one side and punching with her left fist instead of her right, hoping to throw him off. Instead the man dodged again, nudged her under the shoulder and rolled her easily over his back onto the mat. She lay for a moment with the wind knocked out of her before she stood back up, and lifted her fists.  
  
"I'm not here to win." She informed him softly as he prepared to lunge this time. "I'm just here to blow off some steam." And he came at her with a rapid series of moves that she could neither see, nor predict. The end result left her on the mat once again, staring at the ceiling with the same dazed look her previous opponents had after she was done with them.  
  
"Nice moves." The dark-haired man informed her coolly, and glanced over his shoulder to where a redheaded man was waving to him.  
  
"Crawford, come on we have to go." The dark-haired man grunted, nodded at Kohana, and left the gym.  
  
"Weird." Kohana muttered, and turned her attention back in the direction of the punching bags.  
  
* * *  
  
The betrayal hurt more than the bruises. His best friend had ruined his life, and had tried to have him killed. Lucky for him he'd been wearing a bulletproof vest, or he'd be dead. Kase was a moron. That stupidity would be his downfall. Assuming Ken got to him before a certain someone else, which he didn't.  
  
Standing outside the same building as before, he stared in confusion at the ambulance. The body covered by a white sheet, the blood, the girl with tears in her eyes...what could have happened? How had this happened? He turned and left, unable to handle the scene. It was all too surreal. It shouldn't have happened like that.  
  
He met up with the others about a block away. He had let a few tears fall, but had found himself unable to waste time crying over the loss of his best friend. There were too many emotions to deal with. His friends looked at him for an explanation, but he could offer none. He himself didn't know what had happened. Kase was dead, and he hadn't been the one to kill him. Somehow it just didn't seem right.  
  
A few days later he received a letter from Michiko, Kase's girlfriend who had been with him at his death. It was a simple request for Ken to come to the mansion where she was living so they could talk about Kase. Confused but curious, Ken was getting ready to go when Omi called a brief meeting to discuss the names he had come up with.  
  
"I've got a good list so far of the people associated with Takahashi, Aiko, friends of hers or people living in the mansion." Omi handed them each a list with several names on it. Ken's eyes went immediately one near the top of the page. Ikeda, Michiko.  
  
"Hey Omi, what did you find on Ikeda, Michiko?" he inquired after a moment, and the younger boy looked up, surprised.  
  
"She's Aiko's best friend. They are on the same soccer team; they're both involved in the theater house, and they both live in the mansion. Why?" Ken frowned, then shook his head.  
  
"It's nothing, look I gotta go meet someone. Call me if you find anything else or if you need me to check anything out while I'm gone." Ken left the room, and the remaining members glanced at each other.  
  
"I wonder what's up with him now." Yohji muttered.  
  
"I don't know." Aya said coolly. "But we should keep an eye on him." The other two nodded in agreement, and while Aya went out to follow their fourth member, Yohji and Omi turned to the computer to see what else they could find.  
  
* * *  
  
If you don't understand some of the things going on in the story, I'm sorry. I am assuming that those of you who are reading this story have seen at least some of Weiß Kreuz. If you haven't, I know it's been released in the US, so you can probably rent it or buy it somewhere. I mean, I live in Kansas, and I've seen it, so you can't complain about living in too small of a town. If you don't live in the US, then I don't know if you'll have access to WK or not.  
  
I'm not all together satisfied with this chapter. I think some parts are rather vague, but I'm going to go ahead and post this anyway. It's been awhile since I've posted. Also, chapter four is nearing completion as I'm typing this, so look for it in a week or so. I don't have much free time anymore, now that school has started, so I can't type as much. Gomen. 


	5. Chapter Four

Well, here's chapter four. At the end, I'll put in a character guide of all the new characters that will pop up throughout the story. Some will be more important than others, so I'll be sure to let you know which characters you need to know. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^_^  
  
* * *  
  
Ken stared up at the enormous mansion, a lump forming in his throat and a thick cloud of doubts descending. It might just be a trap set by the mysterious assassins, trying to lure him onto their turf so they could get information. He sighed. Then again he had seen Michiko with Kase and had seen her crying when he was wheeled away. She was probably just really sad about his death and wanted to talk about him with someone who had known him. Gathering his courage once more, he mounted the steps and reached out to knock on the door.  
  
Before he could do so however, the door was nearly ripped off its hinges by a girl who towered over him, obviously at least 6'0" tall, and with wide shoulders, muscular arms, and some kind of knife in one hand. Ken felt his courage leave him and had the ridiculous urge to giggle, which he held rigidly in check while gazing up at the giant. For a few seconds the girl stared at him in surprise, then smiled and opened the door a little wider.  
  
"You must be Hidaka-san. I am Sunomi Taka." She said kindly. "Michi- chan's been expecting you in the library for some time now. Please, come in." She turned and began leading Ken through a labyrinth of corridors, past at least a dozen different men and women engaged in various activities that including chess, Ping-Pong, and pool. Many of them waved at the tall woman who led him along, calling out her name and cheerful greetings. She returned them in kind, and before he knew it Ken was standing in front of a pair of wide oak doors. As they came to a stop there the doors opened, and a familiar redhead stepped out with a thick book in her arms.  
  
"Oh, hi Taka." She smiled at the tall girl, then glanced at Ken. "Is this Michi's friend?" she inquired, and Taka nodded. "Well then, by all means Hidaka-san, enter." She swept to the side and waved a hand at the doors. Ken gulped, nodded his thanks and entered the room. Behind him he heard the redhead laugh. "Don't worry Hidaka-san, she doesn't bite." And Taka muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like,  
  
"At least not very hard."  
  
And then the doors closed and he was forced to walk further into the well-lit room. A sneeze sounded from the area near the windows, and he followed the sound to where the dark-haired Michiko was sitting in a comfortable chair with a dusty book in her lap. When he cleared his throat she looked up, surprised, then smiled widely. It didn't look like she'd been doing much grieving, despite the fact that most of her attire consisted of black articles of clothing. The only non-black things on her were her cast and her hair ribbons, both of which were bright pink.  
  
"There you are Hidaka-san. I was beginning to wonder if you'd come at all." At this Ken shrugged, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt.  
  
"I had a few last minute things to take care of before I left." He explained. "So, why did you ask me here?"  
  
At this, Michiko plucked a pair of headphones from the table and motioned for him to sit down in a leather chair across from where she had been seated a moment before. When he had obeyed she came forward and slid the headphones over his ears, leaning back to stand at his side while she flipped the on-switch.  
  
Almost immediately Ken tore the headphones off, throwing them at the floor and struggling to get up. Michiko stopped him with a firm hand and he blinked, surprised at her strength. Then she put her hand on the side of his face and leaned in a little closer, true sympathy in her eyes as she spoke to him.  
  
"I know it's hard, but I wanted you to know just what kind of information I have on your old friend." Ken stared up at her, not comprehending what she was saying.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I got one of my friends to hack into the mansion's security system and record this a few days ago. I plan on taking it to the J-League officials along with a few other tidbits of proof that you had nothing to do with the gambling ring. They'll have to apologize and open up a position for you again. The choice to take it or not is yours."  
  
For a long time Ken could only stare, but then he heard a giggle behind them and craned his neck to see the young blonde granola-bar lover standing a few feet away. The realization of what the situation must have looked like to the blonde made him blush.  
  
"Whoo hoo." She giggled again. "I'm going to Aiko's play and the other's are getting ready to go see Atticus's show. You'll have the house, and it's bedrooms, to your self." And then with another giggle and a raised eyebrow she left the room. Michiko pulled her hand away from Ken's face, smiling slightly as she backed away a few steps.  
  
"I just wanted to let you know what I planned on doing so you wouldn't be surprised when the J-League gives you a call and begs you to accept a position on a team again."  
  
"Why are you doing this for me?" Ken asked finally, and Michiko smiled.  
  
"I was Kase's girlfriend, but that doesn't mean I supported what he did to you." And then she was walking back to her chair and picking up the dusty book. "I believe Taka is at the door still, probably to ensure that Mai didn't try to kill you. She'll help you find the door. Oh, and by the way, I suggest you act appropriately around me from now on, so that Mai doesn't get upset about the whole breaking into our house thing."  
  
And just like that Ken was dismissed from her presence, as casually as if he were a servant. On shaky legs he made his way to the door, then out into the hall following Taka as she led him back to the entrance.  
  
"Come back sometime and we'll see how you are at basketball." She called after him, and he merely gulped, stumbling down the driveway toward his motorcycle. He didn't like surprising days.  
  
* * *  
  
Yohji glanced around the backstage area, searching the crowds for Aiko and not finding her anywhere about. A frown touched his mouth and he shifted his grip on the cattelayas he held in his hands, suddenly uncomfortable. Then he caught sight of a flash of red hair, and started off in that direction only to find a woman in costume getting ready to go on stage; definitely not Aiko. He sighed and was just turning to go out into the audience when he caught sight of her, clipboard in hand, pencil tucked over her ear, voice raised as she dictated to the actors and stagehands around her. With a winning smile he made his way toward her.  
  
He waited until she was done talking and the people had dispersed somewhat before he approached her, extending the flowers in front of her before letting her see his face. She smiled, although it was somewhat absent and set the bouquet on a nearby dressing table. Just as Yohji was about to say hello, a tearful costume-mistress hurried over bewailing a fallen hem. Aiko gave her a few quick instructions, pointed a few directions, and sent the girl off to repair the damage. Then she turned to him once again only to find another stagehand asking for her opinion on the last-minute lighting adjustments.  
  
"Uh, maybe I should wait until later." He stated when she was finally allowed to focus on him. "You seem pretty busy back here and I don't want to get in the way." For a moment she was silent, and he could tell that she was debating over whether or not to send him away. It was obvious that she wanted to see him, which made him happy, but it was also obvious that she had a lot of work to do. Finally she sighed.  
  
"You wouldn't mind, would you?" and when he shook his head she smiled widely, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks." Then five more stagehands appeared all vying for her attention, and Yohji was dismissed. He retreated out to his seat in the audience, and sat down to enjoy the show.  
  
Yohji was not a fan of opera. He'd never actually been to one, but he'd seen snippets on TV, and decided that it wasn't his thing. However, he wanted to see Aiko again, and didn't want her to get suspicious, so he'd shown up anyway. The opera was called Tosca, and was in German. He was lucky that the building had superscripts with the translation located above the stage so that he could understand what was going on.  
  
A few hours later he stood backstage once more, staring around in surprise at the debris left over from the play. According to the stagehands he had spoken to, the entire mess would be cleaned up the next day in a cast-party, before the work on a new play would begin. He whistled amazed at the amount of work it must take to keep the place going year-round, to keep shows going almost non-stop. Then Aiko appeared before him, clipboard dented and papers creased, pencil sharpened down to a nub that stuck out like a horn from behind her ear. She looked exhausted, but satisfied and he smiled.  
  
"That was really good." He complimented her, but she waved the words away as though she had not even heard them.  
  
"I have to get home; I'm on the early shift at the office tomorrow and I don't want to be falling asleep on the job." She yawned wearily, collected her things, and began to head for the door.  
  
"Can I drive you home?" Yohji inquired. "I don't think there are many people left, and the stagehand said you came with one of the actors." At this Aiko looked up, nodded gratefully, and followed him through the parking lot to his car.  
  
"I really appreciate this." She said, yawning again as she sat in the passenger seat. "I was afraid that I'd have to call a cab or something. Yoko was going to give me a ride, but she and Atticus decided to go out and celebrate."  
  
"It's no problem." Yohji assured her, revving the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. "Since I didn't really get to talk to you before the show this is nice, you know?" Another yawn, and he looked over in the darkness to see her head lolling slightly.  
  
"Yeah. I'm sorry about that, but things are really hectic before the last showing of the current play." Her voice slurred slightly with sleepiness, and he watched her out of the corner of his eye as she tried to lean against the window but pulled away at the hardness of it.  
  
"Here." He said, stretching his arm out to her.  
  
She hesitated for a moment, then came into his embrace and leaned her head against his shoulder with another mighty yawn. Her hair drifted into his face and he enjoyed the feel of it against his cheek, inhaling deeply of the scent of her.  
  
"Thank you Yohji." She murmured. "I really mean that." And then she was asleep, her flowers still grasped in one hand and her head against his shoulder. Yohji smiled and kissed her hair.  
  
"Sure thing." He whispered, and continued on toward the mansion.  
  
* * *  
  
Aya was recording profits in the flower shop when Yohji and Ken approached him, hopeful expressions on their faces. Omi followed behind as well, looking shy as usual and holding his hands behind his back. He groaned inside as he recognized the light in their eyes and the way they moved to surround him so that he could not get away. He never stopped tallying prices, merely continued on and spoke without looking up.  
  
"Whatever it is, no." he stated firmly, and saw Ken and Yohji exchange a look.  
  
"But..."Ken began.  
  
"I said no." Aya repeated. "I don't care what you're doing, I'm not coming along." Another silence, then Yohji spoke up.  
  
"It involves a mission." He suggested, and for the first time the redhead glanced up at the three of them. "You see, we're going to volunteer at the mansion, er, shelter where those assassins are living. Hopefully we'll get some information, but we have to play basketball with some of the girls there in order to stay long enough." For a moment Aya frowned, glanced down at the profits, and sighed.  
  
"Fine." He grumbled, and stood up to follow them out of the shop. Ken and Yohji smiled in front of him, triumphant and Omi followed shyly behind.  
  
* * *  
  
Aya was breathing hard. When he'd seen the girls waiting on the court he'd sighed inwardly, thinking this was going to be too easy. Then a tall girl called Taka came out with a whistle and the group went from eyes downcast to arms in his face and bodies shoving him out of the way. He ached all over from constant pummeling, and with a look around at his friends it seemed they were feeling much the same way.  
  
Yohji took it all in stride, flirting with a few of them while managing to take the ball away for a few brief moments. Ken was looking bewildered, gaze darting around in confusion as the ball moved in a flurry on all sides. Even goalies didn't use their hands this much. In the far corner Omi was on the floor again, laughing as Taka helped him to stand up and hit him solidly on the shoulder.  
  
"You've got some moves kid, even if you haven't got the height to go behind it." She informed him pleasantly, before shooing him back onto the court with a smile. Then the double doors opened, and eight young men entered followed by a trio of girls. Omi recognized two of them from school; Yasuo and Mika.  
  
"Got some new recruits for you Taka." One of the new girls called, grinning. Her name was Koto, and he recognized her from school as well. "They finished working in the yard early so we decided they could come in here and give you a hand instead."  
  
"Sure thing Koto." Taka replied with a cheerful salute. "All right guys, I want four of you on each team. You can either play or retrieve stray balls, your choice but you have to be doing something." Then she blew the whistle again and the game resumed with cheerful, if ferocious shouts.  
  
* * *  
  
A few hours later the four Weiß assassins were making their way back through the mansion, sore and exhausted but knowing they were in for a lot worse the next day. Staying in shape for their job was one thing, but running back and forth across a basketball court for an hour before going out to swim for another two was something altogether different. On their way the heard raised voices coming from a partially opened door. Curious and finding the voices familiar, they stopped outside to listen.  
  
"I don't care how much of a help they're being, I'm telling you that they are getting too close!" a male voice was saying angrily.  
  
"Gregory, we have them under control. They see nothing that we don't permit them to see, and they know nothing that we haven't told them. You're overreacting." This voice was feminine, firm, utterly calm and made Yohji frown as he tried to place it.  
  
"If you think they're under control then you're as blind as you think them to be." The man named Gregory retorted. "They're assassins, Valkyrie, just like you four and that makes them a lot smarter than you're giving them credit."  
  
"But that's just it. We know they're smart and we know their capabilities. The only reason we're allowing them to help us here is because we could use the extra hands, and there are no signs to point to us. They already know that the assassins live here, but they are as clueless as Schwarz when it comes to who we actually are." Ken gave a start and glanced at the others when they heard this. Who was this 'Schwarz'? Another assassin group, possibly? They'd have to watch their backs even more closely.  
  
"You're all just too overconfident for your own good." Gregory grumbled at last. Then, an aged voice spoke up.  
  
"Let them be Gregory. They know what they're doing."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Enough. Let them do as they see fit and you shall see in the end that they are right. Sometimes you let your concern for the other girls war with your good sense and your faith in our little assassins. Now, why don't we go to the kitchen for a nice dessert?"  
  
At this the four members of Weiß hurried away from the door and down the hall. They missed the opportunity to see who the assassins were, but it was more important to not be discovered. When they returned to the flower shop, they found they had another mission.  
  
* * *  
  
"Ms. Tomoe, what does it feel like to be without a kidney?" one reporter shoved a microphone in Sakura's face and she ducked away, trying avoid the questions.  
  
"Ms. Tomoe, can we see your scar?"  
  
"Please Ms. Tomoe, tell us what you thought when you woke up in that pool all by yourself."  
  
The crowds of people were driving her crazy, shutting out her ability to think about anything. She began to cry, and the cameras began to flash as the crews took her picture repeatedly, giving her no peace. Suddenly a car appeared at the edge of the crowd and honked, the door opening and a young man motioning for her to get in.  
  
"Hurry." He called gruffly, and without protest she slid into the passenger's seat. When the door had closed behind her he revved his engine and sped away down the street, leaving the reporters and their questions far behind. "Take a deep breath." He instructed. "You're really pale." After a moment Sakura complied, and felt a little better.  
  
"Thank you. Whoever you are." She glanced over at him, and noted that he didn't seem intent upon answering her. "So ah, where are you taking me?" she asked, as he turned off onto a secluded road. This worried her a bit.  
  
"There's a shelter up here where a lot of girls go when they need time. I know some people who work there and they'll be able to help you." Sakura frowned.  
  
"I'm not abused or anything like that." She protested.  
  
"Neither are some of the girls there. Like I said, it's a place where girls go when they need some time. A few were abused or raped, but a lot of them either ran away or were orphaned, or perhaps they were once addicted to drugs and some are like you, just need a place to stay so they can calm down and get away from the world. It' a wide variety and the people there know what to do to help all kinds of situations." There was a long silence after this, and they pulled in front of a large mansion.  
  
"Um, did you get lost or something?" Sakura asked.  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"This is the Starr Mansion, that's why." She pointed out, and her companion nodded, getting out of the car.  
  
"Mr. Starr gave this building to his niece and she turned it into a shelter, much like the theater downtown that is now hers to use for her plays. Come on."  
  
Sakura got slowly out of the car, feeling shy as she followed her unknown savior up to the door. She noted, mortified, that he didn't even ring the doorbell when he reached the house. He merely walked in like he owned the place.  
  
"What are you doing?" she demanded, hurrying up to try and stop him.  
  
"Going inside, what does it look like? Besides, they get really annoyed when you ring the doorbell without good reason. It means one of the caretakers has to come down and answer it when they could be doing something more productive with their time." They entered the main hall of the mansion, to find a girl standing at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Hello Aya. We saw you driving up from the window and Aiko sent me down to see what you needed." She smiled at Sakura. "Come on in, I think we can find a room here for your friend."  
  
Sakura was glad that this girl didn't look so bad. The girl looked to be about the same age as herself, maybe fifteen or sixteen. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, and her pretty, dark brown eyes were partially hidden behind glasses. A few freckles dotted her nose, but other than that her skin was clear and smooth. She was rather pretty, but didn't spend time on makeup or fancy clothes.  
  
Aya nodded to the girl. "This is Kumi. She's nice; she'll take care of you."  
  
He left it at that and turned to leave the mansion. Kumi called out to him in a friendly tone, telling him to have a nice day, but he did not reply. He grunted slightly and closed the front door behind him. Sakura looked at the door for a moment before turning to Kumi.  
  
"Come on upstairs, and we'll find you a room, ne? We'll be having lunch in about an hour, so you can freshen up and make yourself comfortable. We'll send someone up to help you find the dining room, since the house is so big and we don't want you to get lost."  
  
Kumi led her through a few hallways, and they came to a rather elegant looking staircase. Kumi ascended it with practiced ease and led Sakura through a few more hallways before stopping in front of a closed door. It was painted white, and next to it, a small dry-erase board was hanging on the wall. It proclaimed 'Empty.'  
  
"This will be your room for as long as you want to stay here. There's no cost, and everything you could possibly need will be provided. Someone will give you the grand tour after lunch."  
  
Kumi erased the 'Empty' on the dry-erase board and wrote 'Tomoe Sakura' in its place. She then opened the door and motioned for Sakura to go inside. Sakura giggled at the sight of the room, a smile dancing in her eyes for the first time since before her operation.  
  
The simple elegance of the room appealed to Sakura. The walls were painted a pale color that she couldn't determine in the lack of light, but the furniture was white. The bed had fluffy pillows and soft-looking sheets. A desk and chest of drawers stood at either end of the room. Another door occupied the space next to the chest of drawers, and most likely led to a bathroom or a closet.  
  
When Sakura turned to ask which it was, Kumi was gone. While it seemed a little strange that person could just disappear like that, Sakura didn't think very much of it. It was a big house, and Kumi knew her way around much better than she did.  
  
* * *  
  
The room was fairly quiet, set back in the corner of the house where it was dark and isolated from the rest of the place. Candles flickered at the edges, casting their uncertain glow toward the center of the room where a figure reclined in a chair, a crystal glass of wine balanced in one hand. Music played in the background, a pure, haunting melody that reflected the shadows that filled the space from wall to wall. Crawford took a sip of his wine and turned toward the door even as it opened, revealing a tall red- haired German wearing a headband.  
  
"Should I let him out now?" he inquired, and the dark-haired man frowned slightly as he considered the request. At last he took another sip of wine and shook his head.  
  
"No. Give him another three hours before you untie him. He needs to understand that his games will not be permitted to continue if he wants to remain within Schwarz." The German nodded and turned to go, pausing in the doorway and glancing over his shoulder.  
  
"Nagi says that Shi no Megami has struck again. It was on the news just this morning. Their target this time was a wealthy and influential organization known on the street for using women to smooth over their business deals. If you know what I mean." Crawford nodded slightly.  
  
"Either they're women, or they are like Weiß and believe themselves to be dispensers of justice. Maybe both." He swirled the glass in his hand and glanced at his companion. "Have Nagi run a few more scans of the information we've gathered and see if the computer can come up with some leads. We have work to do tonight and I want this whole thing solved by the day of the banquet next week. Understood?"  
  
"I gotcha." The redhead was gone then, leaving the dark-hared man alone with his thoughts. In the background, the music continued to play, a never-ending symphony giving a concert to a very disturbed man. He also happened to be an assassin.  
  
* * *  
  
I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but I don't have many reviews, so I haven't really been all that inspired. (hint hint) However, I think I know what's going to happen in the next chapter, so hopefully I can get it started fairly well. If you review, I might just get it out faster. ^_^ Now, as promised, a character guide. I suggest you learn all the characters that are noted with MUY MUY IMPORTANTE because they are muy muy importante.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AIKO: Ringo's niece, the caretaker of the shelter and the owner of the playhouse. Red hair, blue-green eyes, kinda tall, Yohji's girlfriend at first. Age 19. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
TAKA: Chick at shelter, plays bassoon at playhouse. Thick brown hair, gray eyes, REALLY TALL and BUFF. Age 18. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
KOHANA: Other chick at shelter, concertmaster at playhouse (violin for those of you who don't know what a concertmaster is) and assistant Latin teacher at Nagi's school. Thick blond hair, blue eyes, tall-ish and skinny. Age 21. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
MICHIKO: Other other chick at shelter, singer/violinist at playhouse, spiffy soccer player (goalkeeper). Dated Kase. Brown hair, blue eyes, tall-ish. Age 18. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
YOKO: Other other other chick at shelter, spiffy singer at playhouse. In love with Atticus. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height. Age 20. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
ATTICUS: Ringo's assistant guy, helps watch over shelter, sings at playhouse, American, knew Crawford a billion years ago. Sandy blond hair, blue eyes, tall. Age 25. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
MAI: Other x 4 chick at shelter, clarinet at playhouse, loves granola bars. Blond hair, blue eyes, very short. Age 17. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
AHIRU: American exchange student type person. Starts working at Koneko no Sumu Ie. Real name: Ashley, nicknamed Ahiru 'cause she likes rubber duckies. Blond hair, brown eyes, kinda tall. Age 19. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
TRAVIS: Other American exchange student type person. Plays viola at playhouse. Brown hair, brown eyes, kinda short. Age 19. KINDA IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
NORI: Politician's daughter, knows Ouka and interacts a lot with Taketori. Lives at shelter since mother died. Good with computers. Thick blond hair, blue eyes, average height. Age 17. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
KUMI: Other x 5 chick at shelter. Super nice, plays violin at playhouse. Long brown hair, brown eyes, average height. Age16. KINDA IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
SHINO: Random chick at shelter. Almost super nice, plays keyboard at playhouse. Dirty blond hair, brown eyes, average height. Age 18. Not very importante.  
  
TORI: Other random chick at shelter. Psycho weird, though usually quiet. Goes to school with Omi. Brown hair, brown eyes, tall and skinny. Age 17. Not very importante.  
  
KOTO: Other other random chick at shelter. Goes to school with Omi, plays cello at playhouse. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height. Age 17. Not very importante.  
  
LEIKO: Other other other random chick at shelter. Drummer at playhouse. Really long brown hair, gray eyes, age 19. Not very importante.  
  
KYOKO: Goes to Nagi's school, is in his class. Lives at shelter, plays cello sometimes and is in plays sometimes. Strawberry blond hair, gray eyes, short. Age 16. Not very importante.  
  
TOSHIHIRO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Owns restaurant. Brown hair, brown eyes, tall-ish. Age 18. Not very importante.  
  
BOTAN: Omi's friend from the internet. Helps at shelter and acts at playhouse. Spiffy hacker guy. Blond-ish hair, blue eyes, short and scrawny. Age 19. SORTA IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
TEN-KU: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Plays bass at playhouse. Flirts with Weiß (AKA he's gay). Black hair, blue eyes, average height. Age 19. SORTA IMPORTANTE!!!  
  
AKAKO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Plays guitar at playhouse. Light brown hair, gray eyes, kinda short. Age 18. Not very importante.  
  
HIROSHI: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Plays cello at playhouse. Black/purple hair (was bright red, died black and turned purple) black eyes, average height. Age 18. Not very importante.  
  
YASUO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Goes to school with Omi. Brown hair, brown eyes, kinda tall. Age 17. Not very importante.  
  
MIKO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Goes to school with Omi. Black hair, black eyes, short. Age 17. Not very importante. 


End file.
